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Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population

From: Gut microbial determinants of clinically important improvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Patient characteristics

Visit 1 (baseline)

Visit 2 (follow-up)

Minimum clinically important improvement patient group*

P value**

Minimum clinically important improvement patient group*

P value**

MCII+ (n = 12)

MCII− (n = 20)

MCII+ (n = 12)

MCII− (n = 20)

Duration between visits (days), median [Q1, Q3]a

-

-

-

363.0 [302.5, 377.5]

252.0 [212.0, 341.3]

0.08

Sex

  

0.70

  

0.70

 Female, n (%)

7 (58.3)

14 (70.0)

 

7 (58.3)

14 (70.0)

 

 Male, n (%)

5 (41.7)

6 (30.0)

 

5 (41.7)

6 (30.0)

 

Age, mean ± s.d.

68.0 ± 12.8

63.2 ± 9.7

0.09

68.9 ± 13.1

64.0 ± 9.7

0.09

 < 64 years, n (%)

3 (25.0)

10 (50.0)

0.27

3 (25.0)

10 (50.0)

0.27

 ≥ 64 years, n (%)

9 (75.0)

10 (50.0)

9 (75.0)

10 (50.0)

Smoking status

  

0.52

  

0.27

 Smoker, n (%)

0 (0)

2 (10.0)

 

0 (0)

3 (15.0)

 

 Non-smoker, n (%)

12 (100)

18 (90.0)

 

12 (100)

17 (85.0)

 

Clinical measurements

      

 bCDAI, median [Q1, Q3]

19.8 [12.6, 30.1]

9.3 [6.4, 13.7]

0.03

2.7 [1.0, 7.7]

14.0 [10.1, 21.7]

1.9 × 10−3

 ΔCDAI, median [Q1, Q3]

-

-

-

− 15.1 [− 19.2, − 10.0]

2.7 [− 0.2, 9.8]

6.9 × 10−6

 cHAQ, median [Q1, Q3]

0.6 [0.4, 0.9]

0.8 [0.3, 1.1]

0.57

0.4 [0.3, 0.8]

0.7 [0.4, 1.2]

0.09

 Pain (VASd 0–100 mm), median [Q1, Q3]

41.0 [11.8, 67.8]

26.5 [14.8, 56.3]

0.61

9.5 [8.0, 36.0]

63.0 [31.8, 78.5]

2.8 × 10−3

 28-swollen joint count (SJC), median [Q1, Q3]

6.5 [0.0, 13.3]

1.5 [0.0, 4.3]

0.12

0.0 [0.0, 2.0]

1.0 [0.8, 4.8]

0.08

 28-tender joint count (TJC), median [Q1, Q3]

4.5 [0.0, 15.0]

1.5 [0.8, 5.3]

0.45

0.0 [0.0, 0.5]

3.0 [2.0, 9.0]

0.01

 ept_vas, median [Q1, Q3]

45.5 [28.8, 59.0]

28.0 [14.5, 52.3]

0.56

10.5 [8.0, 35.0]

49.0 [32.0, 71.3]

6.3 × 10−3

 fmd_vas, median [Q1, Q3]

37.5 [21.3, 55.0]

20.0 [10.0, 25.0]

0.06

5.0 [0.0, 12.5]

25.0 [8.8, 50.0]

0.01

Rheumatoid factor (RF)

  

0.43

  

0.43

 Positive, n (%)

8 (66.7)

8 (40.0)

 

8 (66.7)

8 (40)

 

 Negative, n (%)

3 (25.0)

7 (35.0)

 

3 (25.0)

7 (35.0)

 

 not available

1 (8.3)

5 (25.0)

 

1 (8.3)

5 (25.0)

 

Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA)

  

0.44

  

0.44

 Positive, n (%)

9 (75.0)

10 (50.0)

 

9 (75.0)

10 (50.0)

 

 Negative, n (%)

3 (25.0)

8 (40.0)

 

3 (25.0)

8 (40.0)

 

 Not available

0 (0)

2 (10.0)

 

0 (0)

2 (10.0)

 

gCRP (mg/L), median [Q1, Q3]

5.9 [2.9, 18.3]

2.9 [2.9, 5.1]

0.06

2.9 [2.9, 4.3]

2.9 [2.9, 10.0]

0.77

Treatment use

      

 hbDMARDs (user), n (%)

6 (50.0)

9 (45.0)

1

5 (41.7)

8 (40.0)

1

 icsDMARDs (user), n (%)

11 (91.7)

17 (85.0)

1

11 (91.7)

16 (80.0)

0.63

 Prednisone (user), n (%)

6 (50.0)

9 (45.0)

1

5 (41.7)

9 (45)

1

  1. aUpper and lower quartiles; bCDAI, Clinical Disease Activity Index; cHAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; dVAS, visual analog scale; ept_vas, Patient global evaluation of disease activity; fmd_vas, Provider global evaluation of disease activity; gCRP, C-reactive protein; hbDMARDs, biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (Abatacept, Adalimumab, Certolizumab, Etanercept, Infliximab, Rituximab, Tocilizumab); icsDMARDs, conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (Azathioprine, Hydroxychloroquine, Leflunomide, Methotrexate, Sulfasalazine); *Patients were stratified into two groups (MCII+ or MCII−) depending on whether minimum clinically important improvement (MCII) was achieved at follow-up visit; **Fisher’s exact test and Mann-Whitney U test was used to test for statistical significance among categorical and continuous variables, respectively